Police misdeeds may finally bring changes

By Dave Starr, Las Vegas

Monday, May 11, 2015 | 2 a.m.

The black protesters in Baltimore have been called thugs by many people in a blanket statement. To be sure, there were thugs among the looters, who weren’t there to protest in the first place. But the blanket indictment of the black protesters is symbolic of the problems.

Police departments, large and small, in cities and towns around the U.S. have felt enabled to practice racism on a daily basis with impunity. The Baltimore indictments may have changed that. These white cops in Baltimore have been called on their lies and inhumane treatment of a black man they encountered. He was arrested without cause and was severely injured and left without medical assistance, leading to his death.

As everyone has seen in the news lately, this incident in Baltimore is not that unusual. White police officers have been enabled to commit atrocities, including murder. That is surely not a blanket indictment against all white police officers or entire police departments in the U.S. However, nobody can claim these atrocities do not exist or that they do not happen on a regular basis. Citizen videos have led to police being caught lying and even murdering. Without these citizen videos, the offending police officers would have been able to get away with their lies and inhumane treatment of black men.

These indictments will have a lasting impact on police enforcement and may lead to overdue improvements. Freddie Gray can now rest in peace.